“It really kind of sunk in today that it was the last regular-season homestand”, Mets starter Noah Syndergaard said.”You could tell with the energy in the clubhouse we don’t want it to be the last game we play here this season, so we’re going to go to Miami hungry and then go to Philadelphia and hopefully come back and get ready for some playoff baseball”.
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With a 10-run deficit, Mets manager Terry Collins took out regulars Yoenis Cespedes, Curtis Granderson, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes in the top of the fifth, and his bench players almost pulled off the comeback against Alec Asher (2-0) and the bullpen behind timely hits and poor Philadelphia defense. Jay Bruce had a pair of hits following up on his Saturday pinch-hit homer.
With the win, NY (83-73) heads into the season’s final week guaranteed to be at least tied for the National League Wild Card lead with the San Francisco Giants, who, at 82-73, began playing the San Diego Padres at 4:40 p.m. ET.
The Mets started the comeback with four unearned runs in the fifth off Phillies starter Alec Asher (1-1) and added two more in the sixth.
Injured second baseman Neil Walker expects success on the road.
While Harvey and deGrom underwent season-ending surgery, Matz (shoulder impingement) has yet to be ruled out for the postseason. Gsellman made his big league debut on August 23.
Said ex-Met Daniel Murphy to Washington reporters after watching the conclusion of the Mets game: “I don’t know if I’ve ever rooted for the Phillies so hard”.
BLUE JAYS 3, YANKEES 0 Jose Bautista hit a three-run home run off Tyler Clippard in the eighth inning, and Toronto beat visiting NY to send the Yankees to their third consecutive shutout defeat.
HOUSTON – Yunel Escobar hit a two-run homer and pinch-hitter Rafael Ortega had three RBIs during a six-run ninth inning, lifting the Los Angeles Angels over the Houston Astros 10-6 on Friday night. But Roman Quinn struck out for the fourth time on the night-he’d earn a platinum sombrero with #5 in the ninth-and Herrera flied out to left, with Ellis Sonny-in-The-Godfather dead on the throw to the plate.
– In the seventh the Phillies walked in another run with the bases loaded, this time when Jose Reyes was issued a free pass and Loney scored. With his team competing for a playoff spot, manager Terry Collins yanked starter Gabriel Ynoa after just two shaky innings. Our bullpen was shot. Same goes for the pitching: the Mets feasted one some of the worst pitching they’ll ever see, especially out of the bullpen, in scoring 44 runs in the four games in this series.
Phillies: RHP Jeanmar Gomez is feeling fine, but manager Pete Mackanin says he won’t close for a couple of days. Veteran slugger Curtis Granderson got on the board next with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth.
Jose Fernandez was supposed to pitch on Sunday for the Marlins against the Atlanta Braves. The All-Star died early Sunday in a boating accident off Miami Beach.
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“It went great”, Collins said, according to the Associated Press. “Tomorrow’s going to be a rough one, I’m sure because they’re going to be all fired up to not only beat us, but in honor of Jose”. Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes also hung a Mets jersey with Fernandez’ name on it in their dugout. Like Fernandez, Cespedes defected from Cuba by boat. Look at Gavin Cecchini with two hits; all of a sudden he thinks, ‘Hey, I do belong here’. The New York Mets offense has been hit or miss recently, and they’ve won eight of their last 10 games when scoring more than three runs. Philadelphia relievers have not been much better (10 runs, nine earned, in 14 innings). Rogers Hornsby homered and Hack Wilson drove in two runs for the Cubs on that afternoon at the Baker Bowl in a game that lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes – or 72 fewer minutes than Sunday’s game at Citi Field. He also hit two batters and threw a wild pitch. Instead, the Marlins will give him an extra day of rest and the ace will face the Mets in Monday’s series opener at Marlins Park.
